Spirit Wings: Tales Told in Color is a vibrant, immersive dialogue between two contemporary folk artists, inviting visitors to explore the soul of Nature through story, symbol, and imagination. This exhibition brings together the sculptural mask work of Sylvia Munodawafa and the narrative illustrations of Dinara Mirtalipova, uniting their visual languages to celebrate natural, cultural, and historical narratives.

Sylvia’s African-inspired masks and paintings draw from the cultural landscapes of her Zimbabwean heritage, where bold color and expressive form reflect themes of ancestry, spirituality, and identity. Her sculptural works evoke guardians, spirits, and storytellers rooted in the rhythms of nature.

Dinara’s richly patterned illustrations are inspired by traditional fairytales and folk art. Working in gouache, pencil, and printmaking, she creates imaginative worlds filled with symbolic animals, enchanted forests, and vibrant landscapes. 

This exhibition is a dialogue, a celebration of how diverse cultural lenses perceive, honor, and narrate the soul of the natural world.

Join us for an Artist Talk on Saturday, June 13 at 1:00 p.m. at the Boston Gallery. Meet the exhibiting artists and learn about their work and its connection to nature. Register here. 

Meet the Curator: Yana Mikho-Misho

Yana Mikho-Misho (b. 1971, Tashkent, Uzbekistan) is a Cleveland-based curator, art director, and artist working in photography and printmaking, with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit arts organizations. Her practice bridges curatorial work, exhibition production, and artist support across local, national, and international contexts.

Yana has developed and managed exhibitions, artist residencies, and public programs while also creating branding, websites, and social media platforms that strengthen visibility and engagement for artists and arts organizations. For over five years, she served as Art Director at Future Ink Graphics (FIG), where she helped shape the organization’s visual identity and led exhibition development and community-centered art programming. Prior to this role, she worked with Zygote Press, supporting exhibitions, arts administration, and national and international residency programs.